What age is Saint Ralph appropriate for?

Rated PG-13 in the US. 13, alone or with a parent; 11 in France. The whole movie, watched in full: what's in it, and how to talk about it with your child.

Why is Saint Ralph not recommended under 13?

What's in it: the official rating, first; a mother in a coma; catholic schoolboy jokes; no violence. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

Saint Ralph: what age is it for? 13, alone or with a parent

From 13, alone or with a parent.

Movie · 2004 · 1 h 35 · comedy, drama

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

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not yetwith an adult, or to talk about afteralonethe sweet spot

The official US rating is PG-13, and we never go below it. Alone from 13, and not before, even with an adult.

The sweet spot: around 13, when you are Ralph's age, you run or you pray, and can watch a child alone with a sick mother. Why a sweet spot?

Official US rating: PG-13. In France, zinema would say 11.

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What it's about

This Canadian made comedy/drama, set in Hamilton, Ontario in 1954, is a sweet and - at times - goofy story that becomes increasingly poignant as the minutes tick by. It's the fictional tale of a wayward 9th grader, Ralph (Adam Butcher), who is secretly living on his own while his widowed, hospitalized mother remains immersed in a coma. Frequently in trouble with Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the principal of his all-boys, Catholic school, Ralph is considered something of a joke among peers until he decides to pull off a miracle that could save his mother, i.e., winning the Boston Marathon. Coached by a younger priest and former runner, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), whose cynicism has been lifted by the boy's pure hope, Ralph applies himself to his unlikely mission, fending off naysayers and getting help along a very challenging path from sundry allies and friends.

Why 13

The official rating, firstRated PG-13 in the US (parents strongly cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13). zinema never goes below the country's rating: it explains it.
rule
A mother in a comaThe father is dead, the mother is hospitalised and then in a coma; the boy lives alone in secret, lies to the school, cries at night. A rigid priest who punishes him.
Catholic schoolboy jokesJokes about sins of the flesh, an embarrassing swimming-pool scene, punishments for impure thoughts; nothing shown.
No violenceStarting pistols at races, training falls; silence and prayers.
shown

What the movie brings

A boy who turns his grief into a race: a film of hope without sentimentality.
A running priest who helps in secret, against the hierarchy.
The Boston Marathon filmed like a pilgrimage.

Watching it together

Before

Say beforehand that the mother is in a coma; the schoolboy jokes make older children laugh, the little ones do not see them.

After

at 13 and up

Ralph believes a miracle will wake his mother if he wins: what is the use of believing it, even if it is not true?

See the facts

Illness, disability, old age●●● · shownreading

A character in danger●●○ · saidmeasured

A weapon shown or used●●○ · shownmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Cruelty, torture, abuse●●○ · saidmeasured

Death of a character●●○ · saidmeasured

Frightening imagery●●○ · shownmeasured

Grief, sorrow●●○ · saidmeasured

Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured

Long dark scenes, night, storm●●○ · shownmeasured

Mental distress, depression, anxiety●●○ · saidmeasured

Sexual innuendo, double meanings●●○ · shownreading

Tense music or sound●●○ · shownmeasured

Visible injury, blood●●○ · shownmeasured

Alcohol●○○ · shownmeasured

Drugs●○○ · saidmeasured

Fighting, brawls●○○ · shownmeasured

Fugue, enfant parti seul●○○ · saidmeasured

Mockery, humiliation, bullying●○○ · saidmeasured

Smoking●○○ · shownmeasured

Swearing●○○ · shownmeasured

Verbal threat or intimidation●○○ · saidmeasured

For the same age, on zinema

Les Caprices de l’Enfant Roi 12, 11 with a parent
The Mandalorian 14
Practical Magic 2 13
The Chosen 11, 10 with a parent

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A zinema reading from September 20, 2026 · the whole movie, watched in full · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made